, 1887-01-29
IN A MONSTERS EMBRACE.

Sensations of II Man Who Gets Into tho
Clutches of n Devil Fish.
w We're lying about half a mile off
the beach at the Barbados, %overhauling
the standing rigging said James ellis,
able seaman, when the mate ordered
John Webb, an apprentice boy, and my
self INTO the yawl, which had been COW
cred and brought around to the port side,
that some painting might be dom Just
abaft the mainmast. 1t was a terribly hot
day, with the water very warm and the
men having little energy. The paint was
lowered down to us, and while | used the
brush the boy held the yawl in position.
We had been at work for about n quarter
of an hour when the boy suddenly yelled
out in alright, and as 1 turned to him he
declared that he had seen a horrible look
ing object pass under the boat, and so on
under the ship.
There are plenty Of strange creatures
floating about in those waters, and a patch
of seaweed will sometimes assume a queer
shape. l laughed at the boys fears, but
at the same time saw how pale and fright
med he looked.
Whats wanted below thereg' called
the mate as he leaned over the rail, having
heard Webb's cry of alarm.
III saw something go under the boat.
sir
"'Oh, you did. Well, if you bawl out
again you'll feel something go under your
jacket
Il began work again, and had been Mt it
only three or four minutes when the yawl
heayed away from the ship two or three
feet, and at the same instant the boy
screamed out again. His voice had scarcely
reached my ears when something flashed
hafnra N axrAG anp,atlt.w ,-.,-lt ,-.- .r-x
and pulled it down and pinned it fast to
my body, and in five seconds more l knew
what had happened. A devil fish had
flung one of his arms about me. Webb
was screaming at the top of his voice, and
as l got n look at him | saw that two of
the beasts feelers were clutching him.
The arm or feeler which had reached me
pinned my arm to my side as If in a wise,
making u clean wrap around my body, and
the extreme end of the feeler crept up
along my neck and face. Talk of pain; |
never felt anything like it. The teeth of a
bulldog couldn't have hurt worse. II was
a burning, biting, blistering sensation, as
if a live coal had been laid on the flesh. |
added my yells to those of Webb, but be-
fore any one came to the rail | was jerked
to my knees in the boat and saw that the
creatures object was to pull me over
board. | heard the boy go down and
thrash about, and then three of the men
came TO our assistance.
The devil fish had outwitted himself.
He had gone under the ship and fastened
to her bottom or keel, and as soon as he
began pulling on us he of course pulled
the yawl close against the ships side.
That closed the gap, II he could not pull
us overheard, although l think he would
have upset the yawl, for we were both
down on her starboard side and she was
almost on her beam ends when the men
jumped down. They began to cut and
slash and hack with their knives, and after
two or three minutes they had us free
not of the arms, but of the creature. We
were hoisted on board bowling and groan-
ing, with the feelers still biting, and they
had to be cut from us almost by inches.
Web got it far worse than | did, as he
wore a thin cotton shirt and was bare
footed. He was bitten on one foot. both
hands and across the breast, and it was q
long two weeks before he was on deck
again, his face swelled up until one eve
was closed, and the poison made me i'll for
many days. Wherever one of the cups or
suckers took hold the skin was entirely
taken off, and it seemed as if pins had
been stuck in the raw flesh. A native
doctor brought me some herbs of which to
make n poultice; and, though that relieved
the pain n helped me to get around
again, it was months before my face was
entirely well. New York Sun.